More details have emerged from the highly anticipated spin-off of Hidetaka Miyazaki’s award-winning fantasy epic. ELDEN RING: NIGHTREIGN will, unfortunately, not include the player-made messages, PvP and Spirit Ashes.
No player-made messages mean players won’t encounter notes scrawled on the floor, luring unsuspecting adventurers into falling into pits. This omission is deliberate, as NIGHTREIGN’s online multiplayer design requires three players to work together constantly in its grueling challenges. Besides, most of them are pretty useless anyway.
According to the game’s director, Junya Ishizaki, in an IGN Japan interview, sessions last only 40 minutes, so there’s little point in allowing players to leave messages. Dying resets the entire server, and the trio must strive to defeat the Night Lord once again. However, players can still see others’ illusions across the map, providing a brief comedic element about how they perished in Limveld.
PvP has also taken a backseat, as “ELDEN RING: NIGHTREIGN is being developed with cooperative play in mind,” the director stated.
Fans should remember that this is not the Elden Ring they might have expected. Those anticipating a story heavily inspired by Miyazaki and G.R.R. Martin’s expansive lore won’t find it here.
As for the game’s characters, each of the eight protagonists will have unique abilities. Unlike the original Elden Ring, there won’t be customizable faces or spirit ashes. For instance, an Astrologer-type class will focus primarily on Carian spells, while a Berserker class will possess skills that enhance strength and defense, utilizing Rune Bears.
Additionally, the director revealed in an interview that players must face eight bosses in a single session. These encounters are randomized and maintain the same difficulty level as the original. As a result, these gauntlets offer powerful rewards similar to those found in roguelike games like Hades and Dead Cells.
While specific rewards remain unspecified, they are expected to include powerful new weapons, armor sets, or Talismans that boost stats to help players survive the game’s three-day cycle. A new ‘Relic’ feature will provide permanent buffs to aid survival, which can be obtained from the Hidden Table.
ELDEN RING: NIGHTREIGN tells a separate story, far removed from the universe of the Elden Lord. It takes place in a parallel timeline, where players face a variety of FromSoftware bosses, including the Nameless King himself. Despite this divergence, NIGHTREIGN features a cohesive narrative based on this alternate dimension, with a detailed backstory for each of its eight playable characters.
ELDEN RING: NIGHTREIGN is slated for release on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC (Steam) in 2025. Players eager to experience the game early can participate in the Network Test scheduled for February 2025. For more information, visit the game’s official website.